Here’s what I wish everyone seeking recovery knew: What you dare to ask for, you’ll receive. When we struggle with a history of addiction of any kind– workaholism, drugs, sex, alcohol, food, stress, deprivation, underbeing, underearning– there are some co-occuring “co-morbid” conditions, too.
I’m the behavioral health nurse, so before we get too in this thing, lemme just go right on ahead and define addiction for you: addiction is any behavior you compulsively do. You know how you don’t wanna reach for that 3rd piece of cake, but you do anyway? You might’ve even said something like “I can’t control myself”?! That, sweat pea, is addiction. I know it can seem like a big, scary word. I know you may have reserved addiction for the ahem “other people”. But…
Per my good sis Merriam Webster (yes, the dictionary!), addiction is:
- “a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinence” and
- “a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly”
With addiction of any kind– porn, chaos, dysfunction, work, social media, watching the news– comes a sense of unworthiness, low self esteem, and a profound sense of shame. Recognizing these emotional hurdles are as much a part of the healing process as reducing or abstaining from the addictive behaviors themselves is critical to the recovery, healing, and transformation you seek. Embracing vulnerability, reaching out for support, and acknowledging your worthiness to receive help are transformative steps on the path to recovery.
Now that we got all that outta the way, here’s the really great news:
Everything you need, you already have… And that’s on Bible!
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Psalm 34:8-10 NLT
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.
The strength to overcome your challenges lies within you– not without you! By daring to do one thing differently or to ask for the support you want or need to overcome your addiction, you open the door to the life and future you want. The present you desire.
Sometimes we are deceived into believing other people need to open the doors for us, failing to realize that when we knock, the door will be opened. That when we seek, we inevitably find. That when we ask, inevitably receive.
Our thinking is as diseased as our addictive behaviors. It’s our addictive, stinking thinking that led us to addiction. Change your mindset, change your life. You are deserving of a life filled with compassion, self-love, and the possibilities that come with healing, recovery, and transformation.
You deserve everything you desire. Read that again because you skimmed it the first time and Ion like that: You deserve everything you desire.
I woke up from my supple slumber with this message to share: We desire to ask for what we want an when we’re bold enough to ask for what we want in its fullness, we will inevitably receive it. Like I recently told a sisterfriend, “The universe knows what we need and is always conspiring in our favor. ✨”
